Linkers
WHICH IS NOT POSSIBLE
In spite of / Even though / Despite being the better player, Richard lost the match.
Even though
COMPLETE THE SECOND SENTENCE SO IT MEANS THE SAME AS THE FIRST
A. I'm responsible for the marketing department.
B. I'm in ..................... the marketing department.
charge of
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF HAVE OR HAVE GOT
Jessica doesn't need a company car because she ............... travel in her job.
doesn't have to
EXPLAIN THE IDIOMS
My father doesn't see eye to eye with my brother about politics.
having very different opinions on the matter
A verb combined with an adverb or a preposition, or sometimes both, to give a new meaning. e.g throw away, look for, make up for
phrasal verb
WHICH IS NOT POSSIBLE
Sales figures have fallen drastically due to / because / owing to the recession.
because
COMPLETE THE SECOND SENTENCE SO IT MEANS THE SAME AS THE FIRST
A. He's got a degree, a Master's degree, and a 'B' at First Certificate.
B. He's got good..............
qualifications
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF HAVE OR HAVE GOT
This is a great car. How long ............... it?
have you had
EXPLAIN THE IDIOM
My sister is the black sheep of the family.
different from the rest of the family who don't approve of them
A word or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another. e.g lately / recently
synonym
WHICH IS NOT POSSIBLE
The workers covered the furniture with sheets so as not to / not to / in order not to splash it with paint.
not to
COMPLETE THE SECOND SENTENCE SO IT MEANS THE SAME AS THE FIRST
A. My job is very high pressure and stressful.
B. I have a very ................ job.
demanding
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF HAVE OR HAVE GOT
I can't lend you my bike. I ................... it repaired.
I'm having
EXPLAIN THE IDIOM
My sister-in-law wears the trousers in that marriage.
making the decisions and telling her husband what to do
Very informal words and expressions which are more common in spoken language, especially used by a certain group of people e.g teenagers. They often go in and out of fashion very quickly. They can sometimes cause offence.
slang
REWRITE THE SENTENCE
The cruise is being cancelled because the weather is going to be bad. (owing to)
The cruise is being cancelled......
owing to bad weather
COMPLETE THE SECOND SENTENCE SO IT MEANS THE SAME AS THE FIRST
A. I lost my job last year as the company I was working for wasn't making a profit.
B. I was ................... last year.
made redundant
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF HAVE OR HAVE GOT
Ben doesn't know everyone yet. He ................ working in our office for very long.
hasn't been
EXPLAIN THE IDIOM
Red hair runs in the family.
several people in the family have it
A frequent combination of words in a language. Often they are the only possible combination to express a concept.
collocations
REWRITE THE SENTENCE
You are being sent a reminder since we have not received payment for your last bill. (consequently)
We have not received payment....
for your last bill. Consequently we are sending you a reminder. / Consequently you are being sent a reminder.
COMPLETE THE SECOND SENTENCE SO IT MEANS THE SAME AS THE FIRST
A. There will be lots of promotion opportunities in this job.
B. This job has good................
prospects
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF HAVE OR HAVE GOT
Let's take a taxi. We ................... time to walk.
haven't got / don't have
EXPLAIN THE IDIOM
Most families have a skeleton in the cupboard.
something happened in the past that they would prefer to keep secret
A word or phrase not used literally, but used to describe somebody or something in a more graphic way and to make the description more powerful. e.g When she heard the doorbell ring, she flew to open it. (= she ran quickly to open it, she didn't literally fly).
metaphor